2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is used to produce a wide range of products including foods, beverages, nutritional supplements, fabrics, and textiles. Although interest is high and there are encouraging signs that industrial hemp may soon be legal to grow again in the United States, hemp has not been grown in this country for decades. Commercially available hemp varieties were largely developed at northern latitudes in Europe and Canada and may be poorly suited for growing conditions in the Midwestern United States. The project objectives are to characterize the growth and phenology of industrial hemp cultivars and identify cultivars suitable for growing conditions in the Midwest. Ten cultivars (seven seed and three fiber varieties) were planted on certified organic land near Lafayette, IN on three dates (June 2, 20, and 30) in 2016. Data on crop yields, biomass, and time to flowering and maturity were collected. For all data collected there was a planting date*cultivar interaction with a p-value < 0.05. Seed yield decreased substantially with delayed planting date for all cultivars. Seed yields were greatest Plant height and Vegetative biomass did not differ between the first and second planting date for all cultivars, nor for plant height with the exception of three cultivars (Canda, CFX-2, Felina 32). However, plants seeded on June 30 were had statistically lower biomass than plants seeded earlier for all cultivars except the two fiber varieties. Height was particularly reduced by delayed planting for the fiber varieties Felina 32 and Futura 75. Most varieties planted on June 2 or June 20 flowered within 4 weeks but flowering was delayed for varieties planted on June 30. In addition to planting date effects, differences in growth were observed among cultivars suggesting that some varieties may be better suited for Indiana growing conditions. The results from our first year suggest that planting date and cultivar selection are likely to affect the performance of industrial hemp in Indiana.